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LeRoy Homer, Jr.
|birth_place = |death_date = |death_place = Shanksville, Pennsylvania |body_discovered = | |resting_place = |resting_place_coordinates = |residence = Marlton, New Jersey |nationality = |ethnicity = |citizenship = American |other_names = |title = |salary = |networth = |height = |weight = |term = |predecessor = |successor = |party = |opponents = |boards = |religion = |spouse = Melodie Homer |partner = |children = Laurel Homer |parents = |relations = |callsign = |signature = |website = |footnotes = }} LeRoy Wilton Homer Jr. (August 27, 1965 - September 11, 2001) was the First Officer of United Airlines Flight 93, which was hijacked and crashed into a reclaimed coal-mining area near Stonycreek and Shanksville on September 11, 2001. Biography He grew up on Long Island in New York where he always dreamed of flying. As a child, he assembled model airplanes, collected aviation memorabilia and read books on aviation. He was 15 years old when he started flight instruction in . Working part-time jobs after school to pay for flying lessons, he completed his first solo at 16 years old and obtained his private pilot's certificate in 1983. LeRoy graduated in 1979 and in 1983. On 6 July 1983, he entered the as a member of the class of 1987. As an upperclassman, he was a member of Cadet Squadron 31. He graduated on 27 May 1987 and was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the US Air Force. After completing USAF pilot training in 1988, he was assigned to McGuire AFB in New Jersey, flying the Lockheed . While on active duty, Homer served in the Operations Desert Storm and Desert Shield and later supported operations in Somalia. He received many commendations, awards and medals during his military career. In 1993, he was named the Twenty-First Air Force "Aircrew Instructor of the Year". Homer achieved the rank of captain before his honorable discharge from active duty in 1995. Homer continued his military career as a member of the US Air Force Reserve, initially as an instructor pilot with the 356th Airlift Squadron at Wright Patterson AFB, Ohio, then subsequently as an Academy Liaison Officer, recruiting potential candidates for both the United States Air Force Academy and the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps. During his time with the Reserves, he achieved the rank of major. LeRoy continued his flying career by joining in May 1995. His first assignment was Second Officer on the . He then upgraded to First Officer on the / in 1996, where he remained until September 11, 2001. He married Melodie on May 24, 1998 and his first child, Laurel was born in late 2000. United Airlines Flight 93 On September 11, 2001, Homer was flying with Captain Jason M. Dahl on United Airlines Flight 93, which was hijacked by four terrorists while in flight from Newark to San Francisco. As the hijackers attacked Dahl and Homer, the pilots yelled into a mic, and ATC heard Homer yell "Mayday! Mayday! Get out!". Seconds later, Homer yelled "Mayday! Mayday! Get out of here! We're all gonna die here!" The flight recordings revealed that Captain Jason Dahl and First Officer LeRoy Homer survived the initial attack and were still alive after the hijackers took over the plane. Dahl and Homer took actions to interfere with the hijackers, including putting the plane on autopilot just before the hijackers took over, and switching the output of the pilots' microphones from the cabin address speakers to the radio transmitter so that Jarrah's attempts to communicate with the passengers would instead be heard by air traffic controllers. Dahl "stayed in the cockpit alone with the hijacker-pilot, injured but not dead", while Homer was "knocked unconscious and dragged from the cockpit". Dahl continued to struggle in the cockpit, refusing to allow a hijacker to deactivate the autopilot so he could fly the plane manually. The hijackers were heard to say "Inform them, and tell him to talk to the pilot; bring the pilot back", possibly referring to Homer (CVR transcripts). Throughout the flight, passengers received information of what's been going on in New York and Washington D.C. The passengers attempt to regain control of the flight at 9:57, but during the attempt the plane crashed into a field in Stonycreek Township, Pennsylvania. The crash killed everyone on board. It is believed that Flight 93's intended target was the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington D.C. For his actions on board Flight 93, Homer received many awards and citations posthumously, including honorary membership in the historic Tuskegee Airmen, the Congress Of Racial Equality's Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Award, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference Drum Major for Justice Award, and the Westchester County Trailblazer Award. He is survived by his wife, Melodie, his daughter, Laurel, along with his mother, seven sisters, brother, and many other family. Homer was a resident of Marlton, New Jersey.Via . "Leroy Homer AF Academy graduate called eternal optimist", Denver Post, September 16, 2001. Accessed November 19, 2008. See also * September 11, 2001 Attacks References External links * "United Pilot Was a Proud Papa, Helped Others", Newsday. * "Huge crowd remembers LeRoy Homer Jr.", phillyBurbs.com. * LeRoy Homer Foundation Category:1965 births Category:2001 deaths Category:People from Burlington County, New Jersey Category:People from New York Category:United States Air Force Academy graduates Category:United Airlines Flight 93 victims Category:American terrorism victims